The central building of the Maricopa County Superior Court was evacuated today during testimony by Serial Shooter suspect Dale Hausner. Photo by Nick R. Martin
Live from the courtroom: We heard an encore performance this afternoon of the courthouse emergency evacuation system. Right in the middle of Dale Hausner’s testimony, a message came blaring through the loudspeakers: “Attention please, an emergency has been reported in this building.” The courtroom was emptied, with the attorneys and spectators being asked to wait in the hallway outside the courtroom (where I’m writing from now) and jurors and Hausner led out separate side doors.
As loyal readers of HEAT CITY may remember, something nearly identical happened during the testimony of Hausner’s alleged accomplice, Samuel Dieteman. In the midst of his testimony last month, a fire alarm was set off somewhere in the downtown Phoenix courthouse, and the whole building was emptied.
While I’ve been writing this, the emergency alarm has stopped and we’re being allowed back in the courtroom. Hausner’s testimony will begin again in about 15 minutes. I’ve sent an email to the court spokeswoman to find out what happened, and will update when she responds.